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We recently adopted two cats from our local humane society. They're doing well and have adjusted but I'm having a problem. During the day the bedroom door is left open so the cats can go about as they please, but at night I'm used to closing my door. One of the cats wants to sleep in my bed and I have no problem with that but leaving my door open all night is driving me crazy.
Anyone have any experiences with cat flaps and can recommend a good kind for an interior door?
The tabby at 10 months weighs 8.4 lbs and the other mostly siamese at 4-5 months is over 6 lbs.
Posts: 96 | Registered: Sep 2006
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It can let a good bit of light in even in a dark place; it can also let a draft in. I can see how someone not used to it could not like it. I used to have to sleep with my door closed (now I have to sleep with it open.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I don't like sleeping in closed rooms. By morning the atmospheric funk is almost palpable.
But there was a time when I slept with the door closed; I was a teenager and needed the illusion of privacy. (I still can't believe my parents let me put a locking doorknob on my room. They probably jimmied the lock when I was away.)
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Is this a rental place, or do you own it? Installing a pet door requires you (at least, for all I've seen) to cut into the door.
If you don't want to cut into the door, you might have success with rigging up a blanket that you can hang over the doorway, on the side opposite where the door opens. Leave the door propped open just a bit, and the cat can easy slide past the fabric.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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We own the house. The problem is that my door leads directly into the living room. Which is fine until someone decides they want to be awake and doing something. Then I wake up.
For that reason, I'd rather not hang up a blanket. If there were a hallway or something it wouldn't be such a big deal, but then I wouldn't have much of a problem to begin with.
I think I'll just have to take a leap of faith. Some of the reviews of pet doors talked about how the solid doors could catch a cat's tail and then the cats would refuse to use them. I know how finicky they can be and I was wondering if anyone had/knew any similar issues or problems to look out for.
Posts: 96 | Registered: Sep 2006
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I don't think the solid door would be a problem. My cats all used them just fine. There are soft plastic doors that work well but all the ones I have seen are clear so light getting in your room might be a problem.
Posts: 1287 | Registered: Apr 2006
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quote: Why can't people who want to do noisy things in the living room just shut your door if it's open?
Eventually someone will forget about the cat and it's just easier to let the cat get in and out on its own, no?
Posts: 96 | Registered: Sep 2006
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I had a cat door on my bedroom when I still lived at home. We had the soft-plastic kind of door. We trained the cats to use it, by nabbing them and pushing them through a few times. After that, they went through by themselves and never seemed to have a problem with it. It really didn't let in much light either.
Posts: 1751 | Registered: Jun 1999
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I'd think the soft flap would be better to avoid any possibility of cats' tails being stuck. It's not like a perfect seal is important between your living room and bedroom (unlike if it were a door to outside).
quote:Originally posted by The Pixiest: It's not a door if it's ajar.
Our definitions of door must be vastly different... Posts: 655 | Registered: May 2005
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Yes but if the cat can get outside after passing through that door then the door obviously leads outside.
Posts: 1574 | Registered: May 2008
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We used to have a cat door - the solid kind - and it made a fair amount of noise, at least at the speed our cats flew through it. I'd think that would be another reason to use the flexible plastic kind. Less noise, hopefully.
Posts: 1522 | Registered: Nov 2005
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If you got the flexible plastic kind and it was too clear for you you could always duct tape it or cover it in contact paper or something.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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